The Filth and the Fury

The definitive story of The Sex Pistols probably does not exist, but THE FILTH AND THE FURY is a very nice attempt. Those who only know the notorious punk band by name will be fascinated by this portrait, and for the fans it is probably one big nostalgic trip.In his associative film, director Julien Temple interviews the surviving band members and their equally eccentric manager Malcolm McLaren. He uses old film footage from the seventies, that has never been shown before, newscasts from that period and extracts from the classic films HAMLET and RICHARD III, featuring Sir Laurence Olivier in the leading role. The film also includes old interview excerpts of bass player Sid Vicious, who died of an overdose. Previously, Temple made another film about The Sex Pistols: THE GREAT ROCK ‘N’ ROLL SWINDLE (1980), a about the punk era that became a cult classic.Apart from a sensitive portrait of the band members, THE FILTH AND THE FURY also presents an image of England in the seventies. A time when unemployment among youngsters was enormous, the IRA was very active with bombs and the garbage was piling up in the streets due to strikes.The Sex Pistols stayed together for only twenty-six months and eventually released only one album: . But the influence of their ruthless performances was overwhelming, both on the audience and on fellow-musicians like David Bowie and Elvis Costello.